Rising Shadows
by Corvoc
Summary: Although the cause is something Mario isn't proud of, the Mushroom Kingdom is rejoicing. As the plumber deals with his affections for the princess, guilt, and his brother's complicated love life, shadows on the horizon threaten to overthrow the Kingdom forever. (Contains MarioxPeach and LuigixDaisy. Rated T for violence and language. Re-uploaded from old account.)
1. Chapter 1

Growling in annoyance, Mario quickly jumped over yet another lava pit, dodging the fireball that shot up at him. Once he landed on the other side of the small river, the plumber instantly broke into a run for a set of stairs not to far ahead. With each step, Mario grew more and more tired, yet his determination still remained.

A couple of days ago, the princess had (yet again) been captured by Bowser Koopa, king of the Darklands. Like the hero he was, Mario set out on a trek to save her. Making quick work out of each of Bowser's children, the Koopalings, the red hero was slightly surprised at the castle the dragon koopa was residing in.

Normally, Mario would make it through the death trap in only an hour, maybe less if it was a good day. At this point however, the Italian had been climbing for hours, and the sunlight of dawn was just beginning to show. Mario glanced ahead of him, noticing the ominous red doors come into view. Finally able to take a break, Mario let out a relieved sigh and hunched over, hands on his knees.

"F...finally..." The plumber wheezed. "I'm...here...mama-mia, the things I do for Peach..."

To an outsider, it may have seemed as though Mario was speaking maliciously, but that was not the case. In reality, there was little the red hero _wouldn't_ do for the princess. Simply due to the fact that he was in _love_ with her. Of course, Peach didn't know, and Mario had no intention of telling her. Sure, he saved her numerous times, but does that mean she loved him? No. To make things even more difficult, Peach was royalty, while Mario was just a simple man who enjoyed the simple things in life ; family, friends, and pasta. _Especially_ the pasta.

Trying to focus, Mario kicked open the doors, the shattering crash promptly followed by a deep, taunting laugh.

"Glad you could make it, plumber..." Bowser chuckled, flashing his large canines. "Any longer and your little princess may have been toast..."

"Where is she!?" Mario yelled, not taking his eyes off the Koopa. Bowser merely flicked his hand up, indicating the princess' unconscious body inside a rusty metal cage hanging above a river or lava not to far away. Mario's eyes widened as he noticed just how rusty the cage was, or more specifically, the hook in which it was hanging from. "Koopa!" The plumber yelled, his voice wavering. "What are you thinking!? Even I know you don't want her death!"

"She's merely bait Mario!" Bowser called back, taking a single step closer to the hero. "I just needed _you_ here! This is it you nuisance! We finish this today!"

Before he could react, Mario was sent flying by Bowser, who had quickly charged at the plumber. Landing on a bridge, Mario staggered to his feat as the dragon hoped over. By the way Bowser was smiling, Mario could tell he was serious ; Mario wasn't supposed to leave this castle alive.

Quickly, Mario jumped above Bowser, bringing his foot down as hard as he could in a signature jump attack. Other then a small flinch and stagger, the Koopa showed no signs of pain and quickly swiped at the plumber, who curved his body to avoid the assault. Bowser, after setting a distance between himself and the plumber, began launching fireballs down the bridge and towards his opponent.

Taking out his hammer, Mario began knocking the danger away, each fireball going off in a different direction. Upon being hit by one, a massive Thwomp came crashing down from the ceiling, narrowly missing the hero.

'_Bowser isn't playing games...'_Mario thought to himself. _'If he's really gone as far as to booby-trap the battlefield...' _Before he could ponder it any farther, Bowser was already in front of him, lifting the plumber into the air. Both battlers stared in a menacing way, staying silent until they began hearing an eerie creaking noise. Looking towards the noise, Mario noticed the hook of Peach's cage was almost entirely off its hinge, ready to fall in mere seconds into the lava. Watching a fireball burst out of the surface, the plumber was certain his princess wouldn't survive.

"Please Koopa!" Mario pleaded, struggling in the grip of his mortal enemy. "Let me save her! I promise we can continue afterwords!" Bowser simply growled in response before throwing Mario against a wall, causing him to fall to the ground, nearly defeated. Wheezing in pain, the red hero felt a warm sensation in his pocket. Slowly, Mario removed a Power Star, watching it glow and pulse as if begging to be used. However, Mario knew using it could lead to unwanted results. Just like before, Mario would temporarily become untouchable...but what about Bowser? Would the power instantly knock him out like every other enemy, or would it simple make the plumber stronger by a small degree?

Glancing from the now charging dragon to the dangerously loose cage, Mario quickly gripped the power up tighter, letting it dissolve and course inside him. The world seemed to slow done, only the flashing or bright colors remaining at a normal speed as the hero could make out Bowser's every move. Quickly side stepping, the star absorbed as much energy as it could from its surroundings. Mario smiled slightly, listening to the cheery little tune the power created as he swiftly punched the king. Finishing off with a roundhouse kick, Mario merely stared as the koopa wheezed in pain, clutching his chest.

Running past him, Mario jumped onto the cage, quickly opening it and grabbing his love before the extra weight caused it to fall. Bowser, on the other hand, readily launched himself on the opposite side of the cage, swiping at the plumber as a eerie _snap_ was heard and the cage started to descend. Dodging a punch, Mario used the last few second of invincibility to grab the king's hair, ramming his head into the cage before throwing himself back to safety, Peach still held bridal style in his arms.

Letting out a mighty roar, Bowser hit the surface of the lava with his head still stuck in the cell, flailing around helplessly in an effort to stay on the surface. Mario knew he would be fine...from past experience, one knew that King Koopa was fine with lava, as long s he made it out fast enough. Sinking below the surface, Bowser threw Mario one more scowl, and then proceeded to bite the bars, still attempting freedom as he went under.

For what felt like hours, Mario waited for the Koopa to resurface, just to make sure he had no other tricks left up his sleeve. Growing worried, Mario couldn't help but gasp as a spiked shell floated to the surface, along with a few bones.

* * *

"Did I just..." The red hero muttered in disbelief, quickly running out of the room to a nearby warp pipe.

"Did I just _kill_ Bowser?"

"And, we're here." Mario smiled, turning his head to the princess as they finally walked through the entrance of Toad Town. "I hope the walk wasn't to tiresome, Peach..."

Peach smiled and pulled her hero into a hug. "It was fine Mario...you're company made it bearable..."

Pulling down the brim of his hat, Mario blushed and shrugged his shoulders. "Ah princess, you know I'm always-" the plumber froze as Peach gave him a small peck on the cheek. He couldn't help but wish it actually _meant_ something, but Mario knew it was simply a custom for whenever a quest would be over...however, would this be the last time? After all, Bowser was -

Shaking his head, Mario ran a hand through his hair and put his cap back on before beginning to walk towards his house. "Mario!" The princess called, holding a hand above her head, "You need to come to the castle! I expect Toadsworth will want a full report!" Chuckling, Mario simply turned around and walked past Peach, who put on a small grin and waved to some of the nearby Toads, who were ecstatic to have their majesty back. Mario on the other hand, couldn't help but feel sad...true, he did spend a lot of time with Peach, being as he was the "Hero of the Mushroom Kingdom", but he couldn't help but feel anxious. If his biggest foe was dead, then nobody attacked the kingdom...at least not regularly. If no one attacked, there would be no need of a hero, and if there was no hero...Mario wouldn't be needed anymore, let alone able to regularly visit the royal family.

To top it all off, Bowser being deceased wasn't the worst part. The biggest problem on the plumber's mind was...he was a killer.

* * *

**This story is re-uploaded from my old account. If you're a returning reader - welcome back! As you know, the first 12 chapters are already written out, so this story should update fairly quickly. If you're a new reader - welcome! I hope you enjoy the story :D**

**Please...i-if you wouldn't mind, review! Pweeze c:**


	2. Chapter 2

"-and so, now that we've got that out of the way, we can let master Mario begin with his report."

Mario stood at the other end of the table, smiling at Toadsworth before glancing at everyone else in the room. Oddly enough, both his brother and princess Daisy were absent, but the plumber would tease Luigi about that later. Luigi had the same problem as Mario...as in, he had fallen in love with royalty. Luckily for him, the princess of Sarasaland was rarely kidnapped, so he was able to spend a good amount of his time with her.

"I don't have much to say..." Mario began, scratching the back of his head, "becuase lets face it, it's not to different from any other kidnapping. Although, one significant change _did_ occur, but..."

Before he could continue, both Luigi and Daisy stormed into the room, loudly singing _"For He's a Jolly Good Fellow"_, and promptly placed a large, crude cake in front of the Italian. If he wasn't feeling so cruddy, Mario would have smiled...maybe even have let out a loud "Wahoo!" or "Just what I needed!"...but no.

Anyone who's broke something that wasn't theirs or failed on a report card knows the feeling the plumber was. Sure, his...his _murder_ was bad, but it would most likely be even worse once everyone else knew...Mario couldn't even bear to think about what the kingdom would think about him, let alone the princess! She always wanted peace! How would she feel to be 'friends' with a killer!?

"Thanks Daisy..." Mario croaked, his voice dry as he put on a shaky, fake smile. Looking over the cake, it was a simple red and white rectangle. On top of it was a note...yet another thing that would normally be funny if not for the current situation.

'_Mario,_' it read, in Daisy's cursive handwriting. '_Peach didn't have time to bake you a cake, so I hope one of mine can hold you ever until the next time Bowser abducts her...and with our luck, that shouldn't take to long. ~Daisy'_

"Don't worry, it was nothing!" Princess Floral squealed, wrapping her arm around Mario's younger brother as he blushed in a mixture of nervousness and pleasure. "Besides, Luigi did most of the baking!"

Mario eyed Luigi, a soft, teasing look in his eye. Under any other circumstances, Luigi would deny everything and act as tough as possible...but this was Daisy. Taking a slice from Peach, the hero took a piece of it into his mouth, his guilt making the dessert taste like poison.

"Master Mario..." Toadsworth began, his own slice of cake in hand. "What was it you were saying earlier? Something abnormal happening?" Mario flinched slightly, wishing he could at least finish his 'poison' cake before being banned from the castle forever. Putting his paper plate and fork down, the plumber stood up and cleared his throat, beads of sweat dropping down his nose and onto his mustache.

"Well, as you all know, King Koopa has been a thorn in our side for a _long_ time..." Mario murmured, choosing his words carefully. "Yet, I can safely report that...that..." the plumber paused, looking at all the small Toad eyes before landing on Peach's large, blue ones. Mario whimpered softly, noticing the look of concern in her them. Thinking about how angry she would look in a few seconds, Mario did something only that fear could make him do.

He turned around, tears in his eyes, and began walking towards the door.

"Mario?" Peach questioned, standing up at her seat, "Is something wrong?" Mario stopped and looked back, first at her and then at his brother. Quickly, the hero inclined his head in a way to tell Luigi _'meet me outside'_.

"I can safely report that..." Mario said, loudly so everyone in the room would hear him. "I have killed Bowser, and he won't be coming back."

A collective gasp filled the room as Mario pushed open the doors, going out into the castle courtyard as Luigi followed closely behind, desperate to comfort his brother. Meanwhile, Peach went to follow her hero, but had to stop to calm the now roaring Toads. Daisy hesitated, debating whether to help her fellow princess or follow the 'green thunder' after his brother, finally deciding to go with the latter. The Toads all chatted away, a mixture of joy, shock, and concern for Mario. Finally, Toadsworth was on the floor, unconscious from all the excitement.

"Mario?" Luigi said aloud, finding his brother sitting on the side of the dirt path leasing to the castle. "Luigi." The red plumber said simply, looking down at the ground. Both men sat in silence for a few moments before the taller one wrapped his arm around his brother.

"Mario..." He began, "Come back inside...I'm sure the Toads are worried sick..." As if on cue, a large cheer erupted from the castle as the Toads grew more focused on the death of their biggest threat. Mario simply sighed and put his head between his knees. "Alright, maybe they're not to worried...but why did you leave?" Luigi continued. "What, did you think everyone would hate you all of a sudden?"

The red hero lifted his head and leaned it into his brother's shoulder. "Exactly..." He murmured. Before Luigi could say anything, Daisy jogged over and sat next to the brothers, her tomboy manner ruining the back of her dress. "Mario!" She yelped, a mixture or concern and anger in her voice. "Why'd you run away?"

"I'm a murderer!" Mario wailed, flopping down on the grass. "Who wants a hero who's a murderer!?" Luigi looked at his brother in confusion, crossing his arms over his chest. "Since when do you care about being a hero?"

"That's not what he meant big nose!" Princess Floral retorted, tweaking Luigi's nose before laying a hand on Mario. "He _means_ why would _Peach_ want a hero who's a murderer!"

Luigi blushed sheepishly, while Mario simply nodded. Although Luigi wasn't telling Daisy his feelings, Mario had repeatedly confided in the brunette...especially for his 'royal problem'. She may not have been a potential love interest, but she _was_ a great friend. "Anyway..." Daisy continued, "Mario, I'm sure Peach won't hate you...she knows you wouldn't do something like that without a _really_ good reason."

Mario simply shrugged, his eyes still slightly wet. Luigi couldn't even remember the last time his brother had cried, and he could only imagine the self conflict he was going through.

"So..." Daisy finished, poking Mario in the stomach. "Are you going to talk to her?" The red plumber stood up, wiping his eyes dry before helping both his friends up next to him. "No..." he replied, "I think I'm going home...I'm really tired..."

Luigi and Daisy could only watch on as the red plumber slowly walked away, aimed towards his house.

* * *

Mario calmly poured himself a cup of coffee and brought it over to his kitchen table. It had only been a day, and the plumber still didn't feel quite right. Mainly because he was nervous about the princess' opinion, but he couldn't bring himself to go and talk to her about it. He wasn't even sure if they would let him back into the castle...

"Mario," Luigi called from the front door, "I'm going out for the day! The mail is on the table!" Mario simply groaned in response, leaning back into his chair. Slowly, the Italian began shuffling through the mail, sorting out two light pink envelopes among all the plumbing requests.

The first was a bright yellow note that was typed as a computer. Mario chuckled softly upon reading the note.

_Dear resident of Toad Town~_

_ For those of you who don't know, our heroic Mario Mario has permanently defeated the evil King Koopa of the Darklands. A celebration will be held at Soda Lake on the 20__th__. Feel free to attend and bring guests._

_ ~Princess Toadstool_

Mario sighed, hoping the letter was personal for him, before opening the second one. He grew slightly surprised as he noticed this was in a big, cursive writing.

_Dear Mario~_

_ In two days time, there will be a ball in my castle. It is a costume party, but dressing formally is still required. I have bought a suit for you, please pick it up at the address attached._

_ ~Love, Peach_

Mario frowned in confusion. What did this mean?

* * *

**Just like when I first uploaded it, I don't really like this chapter. It's a bit..._boring_. But necessary.**

**And I'll leave the author's note at that. Like I said, this is all being re-uploaded. So it's hard to think of new things to say at the bottom ^~^**

**So...uh...bye?**


	3. Chapter 3

His alarm going off, Mario sat upright in bed and quickly pressed the off button. Due to his recent nightmares, Mario opted to sleep almost the entire day of the ball, getting up in time to get his suit and shower. Normally he would go in his usual outfit, but this was the princess...and this was a princess who could potentially hate him.

Even with the hand written note, the plumber was uncertain. Did Peach not care he was a murderer? Did she want to talk about it? Worst case scenario, she only invited him to confirm he was no longer a hero, or aloud in the castle. Groaning in mental agony, Mario put on his shirt and overalls before exiting the room. He had stayed home during most of his free time in the last two days, and was anxious to get out and about, even if he were to be treated as an outcast.

To his surprise, not many of Toad Town's residents were out today, resulting in the walk to the shop being uneventful. Entering the store, Mario quickly handed Peach's not to the cashier and watched him go into the back room as the bell near the door jingled lightly.

"Mario! I've been looking for you!"

Turning around, Mario found a short man with a tuft of silver eyes carrying a large crate. Kneeling down so they would be at the same level, the Italian extended a hand, while Professor shook it quickly, making sure not to lose a grip on the box. "Professor! How are you?" Mario beamed, resting his arm on his knee.

"I'm well Mario I'm well!" Gadd replied, putting down the crate. "I need a favor for you..." Mario arched an eyebrow, slightly surprised with how normal the professor was acting around him. Regardless, the '_hero_' was willing to do anything needed him to, as long as he could still make it to the ball. "What is it?"

"Well, I got a small team to go into Bowser's castle..." the old man replied, and Mario flinched. Bowser's death was huge news...he should have known everyone would be talking about it. Still feeling guilty, Mario tried his best _not_ to think about what he had done. To make things worse...everyone seemed to be _happy_ about it! And finally...Mario couldn't blame them. As much as he hated to admit it, part of him _enjoyed_ the fact that King Koopa was dead. Shaking his head, Mario refocused on the old professor. "When they came out, they gave me this crate filled with trinkets from the castle...can you get it to a safe place for me?"

Mario slowly opened the box, gasping softly when he found everything inside it. A paintbrush, a black jumpsuit, the old vibe scepter, the Koopaling's scepters, broken down mecha-koopas...bunches of things Bowser had used to fight the plumbers over the years.

In short, it was a box of memories.

Shaking, Mario closed the box and looked at the professor, who sat there with a goofy little smile on his face. "Y-yeah professor..." Mario stuttered, closing his eyes. "You can trust me." Without saying anything, left the store just as the plumber heard a small cough behind him. Turning around, the cashier was holding out a white bag with a hanger coming out of the top, "Your suit, sir..."

Taking it with a nod, Mario left the store and began heading for home, the town still practically empty. Holding the box in one hand and his suit in the other, Mario hastily entered his home, tossing the crate onto the table and getting out of his clothes. Pulling on his suit, the Italian couldn't help but chuckle...

The suit was an assortment of different shades of brown, a tie sticking out of the top. Near the rear, a big, round tanooki tail stuck out. Meanwhile, a replica of Mario's hat was included, with two brown racoon ears sticking out of the top.

Chuckling nervously, Mario put the suit and waited for his brother to come home and anxious to make it to the ball.

'_Alright..._' Mario thought, struggling to get Luigi to let go of him. '_Now that I'm on my way there, the ball doesn't seem nearly as appealing..._'

Freezing at the front door, Mario looked over Luigi, who was in his usual outfit save for the color swap. His overalls were a bright orange, while his shirt and hat were a dull yellow...clearly trying to appeal to Daisy. Rolling his eyes, the red...er, brown plumber shifted the box in his hand and watched the massive gates open. After heavily thinking about his options, the plumber decided Peach's castle was most likely the safest place for the items. Calmly following a Toad into a large, circular room, both brothers couldn't help but gaze in wonder at the castle. It had always been beautiful, but the decorations made it look even more amazing. There were new, large curtains, a mixture of light pink and a deep red. Hearing a loud door opening, everyone turned to the top of the rooms staircase, cooing at the beautiful princess at the top.

Peach stood there, a small, seemingly embarrassed smile on her face. She had a recolored version of her dress, a chocolate brown wave complete with her own tanooki tail on the back. Replacing the crown that normally sat atop her head, sat a headband with its own cute ears. As she slowly came down the stairs, Toadsworth made his way through the crowd and over to Mario. "Master Mario, would you like me to take this box for you?"

"S-sure..." The Italian murmured, unable to take his eyes of his love. "Just make sure it's safe...like..._really_ safe,"

The Toad nodded in response, taking the cargo and walking away. A slow song started to play, and all the party guests began to dance. Luigi branched away to find Daisy, and Peach made her way over to Mario. "Want to dance?" she asked softly, making the plumber blush and nod his head. Putting her arms around his neck, the plumber and the princess slowly swayed to the song. After a few moments of silence, Mario began shuffling nervously.

"So...princess..." he began, eager to get the conversation over with. "Oh, I'm sorry Mario..." Peach interrupted, blushing a deep red. "I just thought it would be nice if we matched..." Mario shook his head, a look of concern in his eyes."No...it's not that..." He replied. "I wanted to talk to you about...Bowser..."

Both of them stayed silent for a moment, before Peach piped up. "What about him?" Mario stared in disbelief. "Well Peach..."he continued. "you don't feel anything for that?"

Peach hesitated, her mouth forming a small pout. "Mario...I know you wouldn't do something like that without a reason...but I would like to know _why_, if you don't mind..." Mario closed his eyes, his lower lip quivering. "He...he was ready to let you die princess..."

The princess' breath hitched slightly, and she quickly hugged Mario closer. "Thank you Mario..." She sighed, tears threatening to come out. "Now that I have you here, and we don't have to worry about King Koopa anymore, I think it's time I told you something. I -"

Before she could continue, a large crash was heard from overhead. Throwing his arms out in a protective manner, Mario stepped in front of Peach and glared at whatever it was that was overhead.

"You!" It screamed in a high pitched voice, the figure slowly descending into the room. "You bad man!"

Coming into view, Bowser Jr could be seen, a raged look on his face as he floated down in his miniature clown car. Mario couldn't help but grin. An intense battle was just what he needed to get his mind off things...to get him out of his strange mood. "Bowser Jr!" the hero called in a confident tone. "What do _you_ want!?" Growling in anger, the child swooped down, narrowly missing Mario with his vehicle. On his second attempt, Mario grabbed onto the side of the hovercraft, grinning in excitement. "Won't you ever learn?" He yelled over the whoosh of wind, taking out his hammer and hitting the propellers on the bottom. Upon breaking, the clown car spinning out of control and crashing onto the now empty dance floor. The Italian landed gracefully in a battle stance, while Bowser Jr flopped onto the ground, remaining there for a few seconds before staggering back up.

"Give it up baby koopa!" Mario called, still smirking. "You'll never get the princess!" Bowser Jr stared for a second, anger still on his face.

"I don't want that stupid princess!" The child wailed. "I want my papa!"

Mario froze, the smirk quickly falling off his face. "Oh god..." the plumber murmured. "I...I forgot all about you..." Jr fell to his knees, rubbing his eyes as tears fell down them. Both his arms out, Mario ran towards the baby with a look of determination. Bowser Jr wailed in fear. Quickly, Mario wrapped the child in his arms.

"I'm sorry..." He sobbed, holding Jr in his arms. "I'm so sorry..." The child whimpered, snuggling closer to his enemy. Both of them sobbing, the enemies hugged each other tightly.

"I want my papa..." Jr whimpered. Mario ran a hand through his hair. "I know junior..." he sighed. "I know..."

Digging through the crate over Bowser's weapons, a dark figure laughed to himself as he pulled out what he was working for. "After watching for all this time," it said, a childish high pitched voice pronouncing each word, "I can finally fulfill my purpose..."

The figure stood for a few more seconds, picking up the box before bursting out into a loud, childish laugh.

"Oh man!" It exclaimed, "Being serious is hard work! Being myself is much easier!"

If one were to leave the ballroom, they would have heard a high pitched voice laughing, telling itself terrible jokes and puns...


	4. Chapter 4

**What's this!? I wait a day to upload this chapter and end up with 3 extra reviews!? * Sniff * Aw...I wuv you guys! Shush now, I'll say more at the bottom...**

Tucking the child into a small bed, Mario couldn't help but feel slightly guilty. It was easy to forget at times, but Bowser Jr was only a few years old. After talking for most of the ball and a few hours after, the small dragon had admitted he always thought the kidnapping was a game**, **and he understood the "murder" wasn't intentional***.** If the plumber had the option...he would go back and save the King, just to ease the guilt.

"Mario?" A voice called from outside the door. Opening it slowly, Peach peeked inside and beckoned the her hero out into the hall. "Want to talk...or...or something?" She asked sheepishly. Thinking back on it, Peach realized they had never had much of a chance to talk alone...

Nodding, Mario followed Peach out into her garden. Lying on the grass, both of them looked at the stars. Or the moon. Or even the dirt. They couldn't bear to look at each other, in fear of confessing their secrets. "So...princess..." Mario began. "What were you going to tell me earlier?"

"Wha-?" Princess Toadstool croaked, tensing up. "O-oh...n-nothing Mario..." Mario gazed at her for a few moments, before shrugging his shoulders. Both of them stayed silent for another moment, unsure what to say. Eventually, Peach moved closer to the plumber, hesitantly lying her head on his stomach. Surprised, Mario couldn't help but feel the need to say something, _anything_, to break the weird atmosphere.

"Ready to start a new life?"

Peach looked up in confusion, not understanding the Italian's meaning. Noticing, Mario cleared his throat and continued. "I mean...no more Koopa, no more Kidnapping...you can finally move on. Become queen. Get married, have children...a whole new adventure."** (Sorry, can't resist...PRESS B TO START!)** Although this was true, Mario hated to admit it. Of course she would change. She'd marry some prince, become queen, move on and forget the Italian plumber who lived on the edge of town. She would forget all about their adventures,

"Oh...well...thank you..." Peach murmured, slightly upset that Mario didn't show any recognition of her marrying someone being a problem. Nodding softly, Mario smiled down at the princess and poked her shoulder. "Ti amo..." he stated simply, a small blush forming under his mustache where no one could see it.

"I don't speak Italian Mario..."

The friends stared at each other, before they quietly started giggling. Quickly, Mario stood up and stretched. "It means good luck..." he lied, helping Peach up next to him. Peach smiled and hugged her hero, calmly whispering a thank you before letting go. Chuckling softly, Mario gave the blonde a thumbs up and a pat on the shoulder.

"Hey!"

Turning, Mario saw Luigi stumbling over to him, blue gunk dripping down his face and clothes. "H-hi..."Both the plumber and Peach stared at him, uncertain looks on their faces. "Luigi..." Peach questioned, "are you alright?"

"Ah this?" Luigi responded, pointing at his blue face. "Nah, it's just blueberry pie, don't worry about it..." Leaning in closer, Mario poked Luigi in the chest. "Have you been drinking?" he whispered urgently. Groggily, the younger brother nodded before hiccuping loudly. "I think I'm going to go home..." he moaned, still showing off an awkward smile. "See you later..."

As he walked away, Peach giggled quietly to herself as Mario tried to control his embarrassment. He was having a tender moment...just the right time for a drunk plumber to show up.

"Anyway princess-" Mario began, before growling when he heard another cry from behind him.

"M-master Mario..." Toadsworth began, shaking violently, "Um...t-that box you gave to me..." the hero's face paled, fearing what came next. "I-it's gone you see, and-"

No longer listening, Mario began running through the castle, looking for _anyone_ holding a box. If the box was gone, who's to say whoever took it wasn't going to use it for their own purposes? For a brief moment, the plumber thought maybe Bowser had taken it, and then quickly reminded himself that Bowser was no longer a problem.

Gasping for breath, Mario stopped and leaned against a wall, still trying to figure out where the box had gone. Giving up, the hero walked back to the ball room, sitting on the last step of the grand staircase. Sighing, he failed to notice the princess walk up next to him.

"Find anything?" She asked, frowning. "Or rather, anyone?" Mario calmly shook his head. He knew that whoever took the box wasn't friendly, and they were clearly much smarter then King Koopa...but _who_ it was, Mario had no idea...

"Oh well..." Peach shrugged, as if it didn't matter. "Anyway, the Soda Lake party is tomorrow, you're going right?" Mario smiled and nodded in response. "I wouldn't miss it for the world..."

After a few seconds of gazing into her bright, blue eyes, Mario quickly began blushing and looked away. Peach did the same, wishing they could keep talking. "Well..." the Italian began uncertainly, "I'm going to head home..."

Looking surprised, Peach quickly nodded her head. "O-oh...uh..yeah! Good night Mario!"Mario gave her a small hug and whispered his own goodnight before walking out the door, happy with the night's results.

Mario and his brother slowly made their way onto the cruise ship, small bags in their hands that contained various sports equipment and swimming trunks. In about an hour, they would arrive at Yoshi's Island, ready to celebrate at Soda Lake with a good amount of the Mushroom Kingdom with them. Mario was already returning to his former self, replacing his depressed frowns with his usual smiles, and this made everyone around him much happier. Leaning over the rail, Mario inhaled deeply as the ship began moving, everyone cheering as his face quickly turning serious as he inhaled again. "Luigi..." He said seriously, turned towards the green plumber. "Do you smell that?"

"Smell w-w-w-w-what Mario?" Luigi squeaked, growing nervous at the sudden change in mood. "Something dangerous? Smoke? Fire?"

"No..." Mario replied, walking away from his brother. "I smell victory. I smell happiness. I smell that one smell that only occurs when everything is right in the world..." Stopping at a doorway, the plumber peaked his head in before going in after the smell. "My dear brother...I smell spaghetti."

Dumbfounded, Luigi could only stare at the now closed door, unable to contain his amusement as the sound of plates falling crashed from withing. Everything was as it should be.

Everything.


	5. Chapter 5

Luigi rounded a corner, still looking for his older brother. After Mario had gone off earlier in search of Italian dishes, he hadn't returned. The green thunder payed it no mind, but being as everyone was now getting off the ship and there was no sign of the hero, Luigi couldn't help but be worried. Leaning his head down a hall way, the younger brother broke into a run upon hearing Mario's voice.

"-no really! It was delicious!" he was saying as Luigi entered the room, both Mario and a Koopa sighting at a table filled with empty plates. Once he heard his brother, the plumber quickly beckoned Luigi over. "Luigi! This Koopa makes one great chef!"

The Koopa blushed and said something about 7 5 star restaurants before walking away, a small smile on its face. Luigi shook his head, still happy Mario was feeling better. "Bro, we need to get going...we're at Yoshi's Island already..." Standing up quickly, Mario brushed off his overalls and led Luigi out the door, a childish grin plastered under his mustache. "Okie dokie!" He exclaimed, grabbing both of their bags on the way off the boat, "Time for a Mario Party!"

"Wait...Mario..." Luigi whimpered, causing both brothers to stop on the sand of the beach. "Can I ask you something?" Mario stopped and turned, his eyebrows raised. "Of course Luigi! Anything!"

"Do you think I have a chance with Daisy?"

Mario's smile faltered slightly. Having so many problems of his own, he had almost completely forgotten about his brother. "Of course lil'bro!" Mario laughed, laying a hand on Luigi's shoulder. "Sure, it's similar to Peach and I, because even though Daisy is royalty, she isn't _royalty_...understand?"

Luigi shook his head, eyes squinting in confusion.

Sighing, Mario explained as simply as he could, "Peach is a princess. I'm a normal man, and thus, we would never work. However, Daisy may be a princess, but she doesn't act or even _acknowledge_ the fact that she's royalty, which means she could be the same as any other girl...you following me?"

Still confused, Luigi began scratching the back of his head. "But Mario...technically, she _is _a princess..." Grumbling, Mario picked up his bag from the ground and began heading for the lake. "Forget it Luigi...the point is you have a chance."

Sighing, Luigi did the same and began following the red plumber, catching up to him quickly. "I'm going to tell her today..." Luigi bragged, his face beaming in excitement. "When are you going to tell Peach?"

"I'm not..." Mario grumbled, frowning slightly. "But good luck Luigi...I hope it ends well..." Luigi glanced at his brother, sighing at his obvious discomfort. "Want to know something funny Mario?" The red hero simply shrugged in response, gazing at the hills in the distance. **(Which, as creepy as it is, gazed back)**

"Well, you defeated giant dragons and saved the earth so many times," The younger brother laughed, "and yet you can't talk to a girl..." Shoving Luigi in a friendly way, Mario began laughing, and was soon joined by the younger of the two.

Once they got to the party, the brothers quickly separated. Luigi went off to find his brunette crush, while Mario went off to find his blonde princess. Once he got into the middle of the crowd, he found her talking to a small group of young Toads.

"-and the 'Mario Party' board is right over there!" She said cheerfully, pointing away from the group. Cheering, the Toads dispersed, anxious to have some fun. Still smiling, Peach stood up and jumped slightly upon seeing Mario. "Mario!" She giggled, hand over her mouth. "Don't you know not to sneak up on a girl like that?"

"Sorry princess..." Mario murmured sheepishly, blushing just from her sheer beauty. "So...how are you?" Peach began walking to a clearer area, beckoning the plumber to follow her. "I'm well..." she beamed, cocking her head and smiling. "You?"

Mario shook his head, hoping to get himself under control...sometimes he wished Peach would make an effort _not_ to look so pretty, just so he could talk to her like any other girl. "I-I'm good to." He stuttered, giving a small thumbs up as they both sat down on a bench. Peach gave her hero an odd look, before laying a hand on his shoulder. "Mario...I've been meaning to ask you something..."

"Yes?" The plumber smiled, before noticing the faint blush on the girl's face. "Why...why did you save me all these years?" The hero stayed silent for a few moments, trying to think of a suitable answer that wouldn't give him away. "I...I don't really know Peach..."

"Please Mario? You know you can tell me anything right?"

Fighting the urge to confess himself, Mario quickly stuck his hands out. "The...uh...the cake! You're cake was amazing, and then when we became friends I thought it would...uh...be a friendly thing to do, y'know?"

Peach's face bore a slightly disappointed look, before quickly putting a smile back on. "Thank you Mario...I couldn't think of a better friend then you." Giving a toothy grin, Mario sheepishly rubbed the princess' shoulder. "T-thanks princess..."

"Peachy!" A high pitched voiced squealed as Daisy ran over. "I have the _best _news!" Both the plumber and his long time crush stared at the tomboy, Peach with her eyebrows raised while Mario simply grinned. '_Hope you got it done Luigi...'_ He thought to himself, backing off to let the girls talk.

"Well..." Daisy giggled. "I was chatting with some Toads when Luigi came over and asked if we could talk..._alone_..." At this, Peach put on a smile and leaned in intently. "So, you know, we were talking, and then Luigi just went out and told me he loved me!"

Mario silently laughed to himself. He had been expecting Luigi to do something romantic, instead of simply stating _'I love you...',_ but Daisy had obviously found it very romantic if she was acting this girly, which was always rare.

"T-thats it?" Peach giggled nervously. Daisy shook her head, smiling from ear to ear. "Of course not! He managed to make it romantic! His lip was quivering like every other time he's scared, which was so cute, and he even said it in _Italian_! I know that's cliché, but still! It was beautiful! I don't think I've heard anything more wonderful..."

Peach smiled and quickly hugged the brunette. "What was it?" She asked, gazing at Sarasaland's princess eagerly.

"It was _'Ti amo' _or something..."

Mario froze as Daisy bolted away. Shakily, he glanced at the blond, her lips pressed together as she stared at him. "Mario...I-" Peach began, before the plumber quickly turned around and ran from the lake, his eyes wide and slightly watered. And everything was going so well...

Peach put a hand out, desperate to cry out to the retreating red and blue figure. However, the princess decided against it and simply watched...she could understand his fear, being as she was just as, if not more, scared.

Sighing, Peach turned around and sighed. It wasn't that she was worried about letting the hero off easy...because she wasn't planning on letting him off at all. She had been in love with him for quite some time, and she was ecstatic he shared the feelings, but she was nervous about the change. Of course, the princess getting married would only make the large celebration in her kingdom continue, but what about their relationship? They had been friends for so long, could they really handle this?

Peach's thoughts were cut off as a large cry from the party. Gasping in surprise, both Luigi and Daisy ran up to her, scared expressions on their faces.

"Princess!" Luigi gasped, "We've got a bit of a problem!"

Pointing to the sky, Luigi's legs began to quiver as a large figure loomed ominously in a cloud of dust. Looking around frantically, he realized something was missing...or rather, some_one_...

Where was Mario!?

**There, I uploaded a few more of the already written chapters. The hiatus is still _technically_ going on, but at least you guys got this, eh?**

**~I'll officially return as soon as I can!**


	6. Chapter 6

_ "Princess!" Luigi gasped, "We've got a bit of a problem!"_

_ Pointing to the sky, Luigi's legs began to quiver as a large figure loomed ominously in a cloud of dust. Looking around frantically, he realized something was missing...or rather, someone..._

_ Where was Mario!?_

Frowning, Luigi turned to the blonde and asked that very question. "I...I don't know!" She cried, a worried expression on her face. "He just...ran off!" Luigi simply nodded and turned back to the commotion, while Daisy gave her friend a suspicious look. Shaking her head, Peach clearly indicated it was none of her business, and the brunette sighed in annoyance. Still scanning the party, the thunder mage couldn't even make out what was causing the problem, and he desperately wished his brother would come out of nowhere and save the day.

"Luigi..." Daisy said hesitantly, "you're going to have to do something..." Luigi gulped nervously. Deep down, he knew that he would be able to manage, but _without_ his brother? It seemed like some sort of dream...

"Y-yeah..." The plumber responded, "I guess you're right..." Hesitantly, he took out his hammer and turned it over in his hands before gulping loudly. Just as he began running towards the scene, various explosions were all around him. Fire's were starting everywhere, and some of the concession stands were collapsing. In short, it was chaos.

Quickly making his way over to a cry for help, Luigi pulled a Toad into his arms and brought it out of the wreckage, concern on his face as he put the child down in a safe area.

"Are you alright?" He called above the noise, watching as the Toad shivered in fear with tears rolling down his face. Not getting a response, Luigi grabbed the kid's arm and shook it softly. "Do you have any idea what happened?"

"No!" The Toad cried, and the green hero promptly led him further away. Although he felt bad, there wasn't any information the Toad could give him that Luigi could use, and thus he needed to get out of the area.

Jumping back into the wreckage, Luigi helplessly looked around for the problem before being crushed to the ground with a loud thud. Turning his head back, the mage saw one of the Koopalings, unable to tell which it was due to the fact that he had never bothered to learn their names. "It was you!?"

"Not just me!" The son of Bowser laughed, throwing his hands out as his siblings walked up behind him, "We're all getting revenge! For papa!" Luigi stared wide eyed at them. "But what is it you're trying to _do_!?"

"We're 'gunna, like, resurrect him," the female said, hands on her hips, "It's just going to be harder this time around..." Nodding in agreement, the children began laughing evilly, pointing their retrieved wands at the helpless plumber. Growing scared, Luigi quickly put his hands in front of his face, desperate to escape any sort of damage. Just as quickly as they had advanced, Bowser's children ceased their threat, still eying the green plumber maliciously.

"Don't just sit their like a coward!" Another Koopa yelled, "At least _try_ to fight us! What, you can't do anything without that stupid Mario backing you up?" Luigi quickly hopped to his feet, pointing his finger at the 'leader' of the group. "I'll show you! I don't need Mario to fight you guys!"

Dashing foreword, Luigi threw punches at each Koopaling, only hitting a few of them. Being surrounded by these guys was new, and he wasn't sure if one tactic would work for all of them. Narrowly dodging a blast from a green scepter, the thunder mage quickly jumped over an oncoming shell and smacked the child behind it, his hammer hurling them a few feet. Grunting in pain, the koopa shot the plumber a furious glance before charging. Hitting him again, the Koopa fell to the ground, wheezing as he failed to stand again. Luigi couldn't help the grin that came to his face. "One down! Six to go!" He called, looking over his shoulder at the other Koopalings. All stared at him with the same glare, not intimidated in the slightest.

"We have to take him down together!" One of them called, raising his fist in the air. Nodding in agreement, all the Koopa kids launched a fireball at the green hero, who dodged a third of them before being thrown back. Before he could get up, each Koopa curled into their shell and slid towards him, each attack worse then the last. As they stood up again, Luigi slowly began fading from consciousness, wondering where exactly his brother was.

Daisy could merely stare from a distance as she watched one of the green figures fall to the ground, and not get up. Of course, she knew one or two of the Koopalings where green, and she could only hope Luigi was okay. "Ohhhh..." Princess Floral whined, "Where's Mario!?"

Peach merely shrugged in response, more worried then before. The plumber had always come to her when there was danger, so to have him suddenly disappear from existence wasn't assuring. Glancing back again, she sighed when she saw that he _still_ wasn't back. It was nerve wracking...

Princess Toadstool couldn't help but doubt he was in love with her, which luckily got her mind off the danger. Even though it was dumb to even consider it, maybe Mario got his Italian wrong. Maybe he was joking...maybe he knew her feelings and was simply leading her on! Regardless, there wasn't much the blonde could do at the moment.

"Mario! Where are you!" Daisy cried, noticing that the battle was over, and there was more than one person standing ; the Koopalings had won. As if on cue, Mario jumped out of the smoke next to them, only recognizable by his signature jump, for he was simply a blue blur in the smoke. Peach sighed in relief...that must have been why he didn't come back! He was sneaking up on the enemy!

Neither Daisy or Peach could hear what they were saying, but suddenly Mario ran at the children and started swinging his hammer for each child. Dodging attacks, the hero stood a little ways away from the crowd, and Peach saw what she could only hope was a wave for her. Smiling, the blonde frantically waved back, blushing as Daisy grinned smugly at her.

"Haha!" the brunette laughed, "I have a _boyfriend _ Peach!" The princess scowled, crossing her arms and looking away. "I don't know what you're talking about!" Peach sniffed. "Just tell Mario already!" Daisy sighed, putting her hands on her hips. "Becuase, honestly Peaachy-kins, neither of you doing anything is kind of getting old. And guys like it when a girl makes the first move!"

"Luigi made the first move on you." Peach pointed out, her eyebrows lowered in an annoyed fashion. "I know! That's what made it romantic!" Daisy squealed, once again lost in her own little world.

Relaxing, Peach looked back at the battlefield and was surprised to see Mario finishing off the last Koopa and slowly began walking towards her. Although she could barely see him, Toadstool could tell their expressions were probably exactly the same ; terrified.

**Is it just me, or is this chapter short!?**

** Alright, onto my real topic – do you understand what I did? It's called **_**'false progression'.**_** I made you think something unexpected would happen, so when something TOTALLY EXPECTED happened, it was surprising! What a surprise! I know they seem defeated, but I don't feel bad giving away the enemy...they'll be back! I promise!**

** ~Stay Fo-**

As Mario walked away, the children quickly scrambled into their clown car, a large cry of fear erupting from their throats. As it began to lift away, the plumber quickly turned around, jumping into the air and landing in the vehicle. Aggressively, the hero attacks the children before jumping out again as the car crashed with a deafening explosion. Peach gasped in surprise. There was no way the Koopalings would have survived.

"What's going on!?"

Both the blonde and the brunette turned in surprise as...Mario ran up behind them. He gazed out into the battlefield with the women, who were puzzled as "Mario" was no longer there. A small poof was heard behind them **(I personally imagine the tanooki leaf sound)** as a cloud of blue mist appeared with their savior stood in it.

"You?" Peach gasped in surprise as Daisy and Mario remained silent. She hadn't seen him since her vacation a few years back, and was puzzled as to how he even existed.

"Shadow Mario..." Mario murmured. Shadow Mario simply nodded, a large smirk on his face as his red pupils glowed in excitement. "It's-a Me!" He laughed, his high pitched voice sending chills down the plumbers spine. If there was one thing he wanted...it was answers...


	7. Chapter 7

**This chapter is...basically, all back story. Shadow Mario (I'm allowed to say who he is now!) has his own original story, and although I enjoy it, I'm sorry if you don't...**

** Here we go! See you at the bottom of the page!**

_Super Mario Sunshine, 2002_

Shadow Mario couldn't believe what he was hearing. His mortal enemy, Bowser, wanted to team up. Normally, Shadow Mario would have instantly disagreed, maybe even have smacked him around a bit...but not this time. Bowser had told him about his _doppelganger_, the one who had taken all the credit for his heroic deeds and had now kidnapped his princess...his love. Honestly, 'Mario' wasn't sure how it had happened...how someone else had taken his identity. The important thing was, he _remembered_ saving Peach, he _remembered_ defeating Bowser, and he _remembered_ being in love. Mario, when in love, was a force to be reckoned with.

It took them awhile to work it out, but ultimately they decided '_Shadow_' Mario needed to stay hidden, and so Kamek worked his voodoo magic and gave him the ability to transform into a simple scarf, easily movable and wearable by none other then Bowser Jr. Taking an old trinket of his, made by Professor E. Gadd back when 'Mario' first met him, he set off to the airport, waiting for his chance to save the girl.

Upon arriving however, he wasn't able to do anything. This fake Mario was so similar, it was almost _unreal_. Aside from his un-realistic color choice, they were identical. What if even _Peach _didn't know the truth!? Frightened and confused, Shadow Mario fled the scene.

For the remainder of his time on the island, Mario competed with the faker, keeping the princess safe up until the very end, in which the villain finally stopped Bowser, and ended up stopping him in the process. He couldn't understand it...he had always been able to save the princess. Sighing in defeat, Shadow Mario trudged away, free off his enemy/ally and his only possession being his paintstaff.

_Paper Mario;The Thousand Year Door, 2002_

Shadow Mario was...well...a _shadow_ of his former self.

Thanks to that faker, 'Mario' was unable to even show his face in _Rogueport_ of all places. The place was filled with scum and bad people, and yet they still hated him enough to shun him. Shadow Mario, like the hero he is...or...was, couldn't fight back-they may be the scum of the Mushroom Kingdom, but that didn't mean he could mercilessly beat them.

So, he fled to Twilight Town in hopes that the dark, dreary residents would except him. No such luck. He was immediately run out of town, and he kept running even after they turned back. He had given up hope ; thanks to that _copycat_, he wasn't allowed to show his face anymore. They all thought he was a villain...

Stumbling upon what the townspeople called the "Creepy Steeple", Shadow Mario carefully made his way inside. It was dark, cold, scary, and depressing, but he had no where else to go. He had begun to shy away from the rest of the world – how could everyone who once loved him now shun him like a criminal?

He hid himself. If anyone went into his home, they would find Shadow Mario, covered in a makeshift ghost costume. With the white sheet, red shoes, and blue tie, everything but his eyes were unrecognizable.

However, what he lost in the social aspect of his life, 'Mario' made up with knowledge. All of a sudden, he was learning new abilities he had never learned before. He could transform anything and anyone. He could hover for a bit. He could even swap identities! He would be lying if he said he didn't prank the townspeople, because he did...frequently. To an outsider it may have looked cruel, but he was only asking...nay, _begging_ for attention.

_Paper Mario;The Thousand Year Door, 2004_

Two years later, and Shadow Mario was still alone, save for a Boo or two.

He had basically given up. He had learned all he could from his books, he hadn't done _anything_ heroic, and every day he cursed the very existence of that fake Mario. He was nothing like he used to be;he even changed his name in an effort to forget.

It had been decided that he would use one last prank before giving up. It was essentially harmless – everyone would just turn into a big for a while. No big deal! And so 'Doopliss' would ring his bell every once in awhile, not enjoying it in the slightest...alright, maybe a little bit...

No one came. He was done. Shadow Mario officially gave up trying to be a hero, or trying to make friends with anyone. He sat down, closed his eyes, and just thought. Thought about all the adventures he had. Everything, everyone, all the things that evil, fake Mario took from him.

And then, out of nowhere, that evil Mario jumped into the room...

Shadow Mario felt great. He felt like...he felt like a million gold coins! The battle was over, 'Doopliss' had used some creative tricks, and boom! He was the hero again!

The shadow had taken his identity, and he had taken it back. Sure...at this point, he looked nothing like himself, but he was still back where he belonged. The little Goomba-Girl had said something about "Crystal Stars" to save the princess...he had a red one, and that faker had three others. He was already close! What a way to re-start his career!

Smiling like a child, Shadow Mario made his way out of the castle, and began heading for Rogueport to continue his quest. Oh, it would be wonderful...the princess' sweet smile, kicking Bowser around, a cake, the whole sch'bang!

And of course the faker had to ruin it...

Saying he wasn't expecting his shadow to retaliate would be a lie. This fake Mario was persistent, and the real Mario respected that. But he wasn't expecting him to win! Not in a million years!

And so, Shadow Mario re-doned his cape, shoes, and tie, and went back to being crummy old Doopliss in Creepy Steeple. He left again when the Shadow Sirens recruited him, but he would rather forget that...Beldam was creepy...

And yet, after the whole experience, 'Mario' came to a revelation. There was no way he was ever going to be a hero again if his doppelganger was still around. And the only person who was going to get him out of the way was the _real_ Mario. And, the only way to do _that_ was to observe him, see just how good he _really_ is, and then strike with as much force as possible.

_Super Mario Galaxy, 2007_

Groggily opening his eyes, Shadow Mario glanced at his surroundings. It was a small island, the bright blue sky surrounding him on all sides. Sitting up slowly, 'Mario' saw his doppelganger on another island...that was...floating!?

Yelping in surprise, Shadow Mario ran to the edge of his "island", only to wind up upside down on the other-side. What was this!? Space!?

Looking back at the fake hero, the blue plumber could already see the "real" Mario getting the hang of things. Yes...he was skilled. Present him with a new technique or ability, and it won't take long for him to master it. Scowling in annoyance, Shadow Mario quickly followed him. After all...his entire purpose for following the plumber to the festival in the first place was to compare their abilities. Who's to say...um...space(?) wasn't a good place to do it?

Once Shadow Mario learned that they were indeed in space, he sighed with annoyance. If the faker had noticed him following back in the Mushroom Kingdom, he may have done nothing...but if he knew he had been followed into space? He would grow suspicious of his motives...maybe even realize his plan. Of course, he hadn't lost his transforming abilities...on the contrary. Maybe they had gotten even better. Stowing his paintbrush into the back of his overalls, 'Mario' folded his arms over his chest, changing his appearance with a satisfying popping sound as blue mist seemed to eradicate off him.

If everything had gone according to plan, he was just another Mario fake, except this time with a nifty space-like appearance.

Smiling like a child on Christmas, Shadow Mario casually jogged over, ready to begin the testing.

_Super Mario 3D Land, 2011_

Space had gone well...space had gone great! Shadow Mario knew much more about his rival. He knew what he could do, what he couldn't do, what he was willing to do for the princess, _everything_!

Although, he still felt as though he should continue his observations. At least for one more adventure. Maybe something new would happen?

Sadly, he was wrong. Made to look like a black, purple, and yellow copycat, Shadow Mario did not find anything new. The tanooki leaves seemed to be appearing more often, but that was about it...and that wouldn't affect the fake Mario to greatly.

By the end of the quest, 'Mario' was barely paying attention. He was certain he was ready to face his rival. Calmly walking away, he began planning just how he would begin his redemption...

"So...you've been following me this whole time?" Mario questioned, staring at his doppelganger with his mouth gaping open. Shadow Mario simply shrugged, his teeth shining as he smiled. "Give or take..."

"But what do you _want_?" Peach questioned. The red plumber crossed his arms over his chest, a look of anger plastered on his face. It was a good question...Shadow Mario, Cosmic Mario, Doopliss, whichever name he preferred, clearly had a goal in mind...but what was it?

"All I want," Shadow Mario sighed, casually waving his hand at Mario. "Is to prove which one of us is the _real_ Mario ; me."

"What do you mean '_real Mario'_!?" Luigi and Daisy gasped from the sidelines. Although they were concerned, they were also concerned, being as they weren't on the famed trip to Isle Delfino...they had only heard about the events on the news, just like the rest of the kingdom.

"I _mean_-" Shadow Mario laughed, a friendly smile on his face as he looked at the brunette. "Which one of us is really Mario. One of us was here before the other, and I'm pretty sure it was me..."

Growling, Mario threw a punch at the blue "hero", he disappeared in a cloud of smoke. Looking back frantically, the blue plumber appeared behind the blonde princess, quickly placing her over his shoulder.

"To prove I'm the hero..." Doopliss continued, the smile from earlier transforming from friendly to cocky, "I'll be saving Peach from you...you..."

Both men remained silent, Shadow Mario's face contorting as he tried to think of a suitable insult. "Um...you faker? I don't know...I'm not one to insult someone, even if they are as low as yourself..." Mario gaped in astonishment. This man, if he could even be called that, seemed menacing one moment, and childish the next. Taking out his staff, the blue painter smeared a large 'M' onto the ground. Mario wasn't able to react fast enough to stop him, and thus Shadow Mario threw the princess into it, causing her to almost _dissolve_ into the portal.

"By the way..." The doppelganger sighed before jumping in himself. Quickly, he lunged his brush at Mario, a wad of blue paint hitting the hero in the face. "Next time I show up to your party, don't mistake me for a drunk Luigi...I would be..._berry _happy!"

Mario scowled in annoyance as his copy bit his lower lip, attempting to hold back laughter. "GET IT!? 'Cuz I said it was blue_berry_ pie when you saw me!? It's _funny!_"

Throwing his head back, Shadow Mario let out a loud, obnoxious laugh as he stepped back onto the letter, dissolving into it before it shrank and dissapeared.


	8. Chapter 8

Hitting the ground with a whimper, Peach gazed around the stone room she was in. Before she could even stand, Shadow Mario landed gracefully next to her, humming cheerily as he pocketed his staff. Glancing at the girl, the 'hero' smiled and waved happily.

"So, how about we-?" Shadow Mario grunted a displeasure. If his skin wasn't mostly _blue_, there would be a large red hand print were he had just been smacked. "How _dare _you!?" Peach growled, hand still raised behind her, "And here I thought I could live happily ever after without being kidnapped!" **(PFFFT! Keep dreaming blondie!)** Shadow Mario waved is hands in front of himself hastily. "D-don't think of this as a kidnapping! Think of this as a...a..._hotel!_Yeah! This is a hotel!"

"Sorry bud', but Bowser already pulled that one..."

"What?" Doopliss deadpanned before rolling his eyes...well, it seemed as if he did, being as huge red orbs replaced his eyes. "Oh, whatever! Don't think of this as a prison! Sure, it may be an old castle were you _were_ imprisoned, but you're only here to give Mario something to _strive_ for...when I beat him, I want him trying his best!"

Scoffing in distaste, Peach waltz over to a nearby window. Sure enough, this was one of Bowser's old castles. It hadn't been entered in years, but the inside wasn't as bad as she thought it would be.

"Anyway, I was thinking we could...uh...you know, catch up." Shadow Mario muttered, leaning against the wall next to the princess. Peach growled softly and glanced at you. "I met you once years ago. You kidnapped me. Why would I want to get to know you?"

"Well...I mean, if you remember correctly, I _did_ save you loads of times before then..." Shadow Mario whimpered, sounding defeated. "No you didn't." Peach growled, her fist clenching as she turned away from the blue plumber.

Shadow Mario remained silent. Both of them stood in the room, neither moving. Peach began to worry. Was he even planning to do anything with her? He seemed peaceful enough...but then again, she should know by now not to trust anyone who goes out of their way to kidnap her. Peach barely heard the "I'll talk to you later" and the sound of a closing door behind her as she continued to think of all the possibilities.

Meanwhile, the party at Soda Lake was going haywire, Toads screaming their heads off as they ran around the wreckage created by the Koopalings. Mario stood atop a hill away from the fiasco, slight tears pricking his eyes as he continued to stare at the one piece of ground his special someone had just disappeared into.

"I don't get it..." Luigi whispered, leaning towards Daisy, "Why is he taking this so hard? It's not as though Peach hasn't been kidnapped before..." Daisy looked over at him, an caring look still on her face. "Well...it's different this time...we have no idea where she is, and Shadow Mario seems much smarter then the average koopa, let alone Bowser."

"So then what do you suggest?"

Luigi glanced over at his brother, who was now only a couple of steps away, "Well, there isn't much we can do other then search for her..."

The trio remained silent, all trying to think of some other solution but not getting any results. After a few minutes, Daisy slumped her shoulders and let out an annoyed sigh. "Then I guess I'll check Sarasaland..."

"I'll check around here as well as Rogueport" Luigi offered, trying his best to sound cheery.

"And I'll check the main areas of the kingdom..." Mario murmured, "And the Darklands if we don't get any results."

Shuddering slightly, both Luigi and Daisy walked off, eager to begin the search as Mario remained on the island. He refused to simply _search_ for the girl, even if he said he would. There had to be some clue as to where Shadow Mario had taken the princess.

Then again, Mario didn't really have anyone he could turn to for answers, The only people who even knew what was going on were Luigi, Daisy, and himself, and being as no one knew much about the doppelganger they couldn't guess were -

Mario paused. Why hadn't he thought of him before? Bounding off to the boat, Mario quickly began to regain his adventurous spirit.

Entering the princess' castle, Mario noted how his footsteps easily echoed off the walls. It appeared no one was there, and Mario could only hope that the little turtle was still around.

"Junior!?" the plumber called, a hand to his mouth as he looked down yet another hallway. At the end was a sightly ajar door, loud crashes emitting from the room. Speed walking down the hall, Mario peeked inside the door to see the child banging some legos together, a look of anger on his face. "Junior?"

"What!?" Junior growled, trying his best to look fierce (which didn't work). Mario stepped into the room and crouched next to the prince. "Is something wrong?"

"The professor...told me..." Bowser Junior growled, grunting every few seconds, "That these...lahgo things could be used to build...but...they..._don't...work_!"

Mario carefully took the legos away from the child. "Listen...Junior, we have a bit of a problem, and I need your help..."


	9. Chapter 9

Mario's plan was, thankfully, a simple one. All he wanted was for Bowser Jr. to take him to any place he thought Shadow Mario might be hiding, or to help find anything that may aid in his defeat.

"It's just over this hill!" the koopaling squealed in delight, hoping up and down on the plumbers back. If it wasn't for the fact that he had prior experience to carrying fidgety children for long periods of time, this piggy-back ride would have been brutal on the hero. "What exactly are we going for again?" Mario asked, a slight gruffness to his voice as he shifted the weight of the turtle.

"An old castle of my fathers..." Junior explained, for felt like the millionth time (however, in reality it was only the second or third time), "There's some things there we can use to fight off your doppelganger..."

"Excellent vocab kid..." Mario groaned, rolling his eyes. The red hero really wished people would stop referring to his new enemy as a mere clone of sorts. He was just some poser, who probably just took his appearance because he was...handsome? Yes. Because Mario was ever so handsome, this enemy decided he should at least try to look the part.

This of course was a lie, and Mario knew it, but he had trouble thinking there really _was_ a 'clone' of sorts going around.

Now walking downhill, the plumber put Bowser Jr. down next to him and calmly looked up at the light blue sky. It was hard to believe that the Princess was once again stolen mere _hours_ ago...hard to believe that the entire incident took place in less that time. And even harder to think about when Mario realized he had murdered his enemy, confessed his love, abandoned Toads when they needed him, _and_ make a _new_ enemy all over the course of a week and a half.

'_The universe must _really _hate me..._' Mario thought to himself, chuckling softly as he watched the kid roll down the hill. Now that he wasn't causing mischief and actually got to know the plumber, Mario understood that Bowser Jr. wasn't bad at all. In fact, he could be rather...cute.

"Who are _you_!?"

The hero's head snapped up as he heard Junior's shrill voice call out. Standing in front of them was a man slightly taller than Mario, wearing a black robe that managed to shroud his face. **(Ugh...how cliché...)**

He simply said nothing, before turning towards the hero and clenching his fists.

_**I've been waiting for you...**_

Mario clutched his head in agony as Junior quickly ran over. The man wasn't _saying_ anything, and yet Mario could still somehow _hear_ him...

_**I've been waiting for you for a long time...**_

"Well..." Mario wheezed, his voice still shaky as the pain slowly but surely subdued. "I'm here now. What do you need?"

_**You. Dead. From my hand.**_

"Sorry mister..." Mario continued, pushing the koopaling behind him. "But loads have tried, and none have succeeded. What makes you think you can do better?"

Disappearing in the same manner Shadow Mario would, the robed figure promptly appeared next to the hero, gripping his shoulder roughly.

_**Unlike the others, I have everlasting darkness...a power which you have yet to encounter, 'hero'...**_

Before he could retort, what appeared to be black vines began spreading all over Mario's body, cutting off his air supply and vision. He gagged, kicking his legs as he was slowly lifted into the air

_**But...I'll let the shadow do his work. The time will come when we're allowed to fight, and my patience knows no bounds...**_

Flopping onto the ground, Mario sucked in large gulps of air as the man quickly disappeared into thin air.

**(Was that not the most cliché thing ever? I'm sorry...)**

"Sorry I didn't do anything..." Bowser Jr said meekly, running a claw up and down his arm. "It's...fine..." Mario managed, before jumping up again. One hand on his knee, Mario waved a hand in front of him, telling the kid to leas the rest of the journey. "Oh! Right! Not far now!" Junior quipped, before waddling ahead by a few feet.

The plumber carefully looked around the large castle he and Junior just entered, which according to him was used as a warehouse of sorts. All around the room were cardboard boxes, some open and some closed. Mecha Koopas were littered everywhere, as well as discarded Bullet Bill cannons and various other bits and bobs. It was truly phenomenal that Bowser had this much equipment, but the fact of the matter was -

"Junior...as cool as this is, I don't think any of this can help defeat Shadow Mario..." Mario complained hesitantly, walking slowly behind the child, who had run a couple feet ahead. "Well, of _course_ not!" Bowser Junior retorted, knocking aside a box and letting the contents spill out onto the floor. "It's gotta be _some_where!"

The hero merely watched as the koopa ran back and forth, knocking over boxes and pushing discarded weapons out of the way. Mario chuckled softly, finding the child's obvious frustration amusing. "Y'know, are you _sure_ there's something here we can use?"

Almost as soon as the words left his mouth, the plumber felt a light tapping on his foot. His breath hitching, Mario carefully picked up a small bomb-omb. "Junior?" He called out hesitantly, holding the enemy up by a leg.

"There it is!" Bowser Junior squealed, running over and taking the small black ball away. Quickly making his way back over to the wall, the koopa took the key out of the back of the bomb and plugged it into a socket Mario hadn't noticed. Almost instantly, a chunk of the wall next to it retracted, revealing a room that slowly began to brighten.

"What is this place?" Mario gulped, watching as Junior confidently strode ahead. The room contained much more advanced knick-knacks. Clown cars, a giant hot air balloon, battleships, and a large empty square in the corner, which was probably were the previously destroyed clown cars resided. On each wall was a computer, and as Mario went up to one he found nothing but a map of the Mushroom Kingdom.

_'So...what does this thing _do_?'_ the plumber thought to himself before stepping closer. The map seemed to be insanely basic, just different colored geometric shapes with labels such as "Forest Maze" and "Delfino Plaza". Once again growing bored, Mario moved the mouse over to "Toadstool Castle", clicking it without hesitation before he could realize it probably wasn't a good idea to mess with this stuff.

And yet, nothing happened.

"Hey!" Junior growled, stomping over, "what did you do?"

"Nothing!" Mario sighed, turning away from the computer to be presented with a smooth, golden hammer. The excellent craftsmanship seemed to gleam in the sunlight from the windows, and the hammer looked used. Used by someone with loads of experience...

"Wait!" Mario growled, snatching the weapon away. "This is _my_ hammer!" Bowser Junior's yellow face promptly blushed, only a tiny hint of it visible. "I-I know, but papa and I kinda took it...I'm sorta surprised you didn't notice..."

"But why?" Mario continued, growing less annoyed. Without saying a word, the koopa shrugged his shoulders, a sheepish smile on his face. "We assumed you wouldn't be as...uh...good, unless you had it. You quickly proved us wrong, but it's not as though we would just...heh, give it _back_, y'know?"

Mario rubbed a hand across the hammer, feeling it's sturdiness and power. It truly was a magnificent thing, and it worked a lot better than his current hammer. Pocketing it for later, the plumber looked around the room once more, not seeing anything else of interest. "Is that it?"

"Yup!" Junior chuckled, looking oddly nervous. Mario sighed. On one hand, he _did_ retrieve a great weapon, but on the other hand the entire last couple of hours felt just like one of those filler chapters in a story...

"Ok then..." Mario sighed, motioning for the kid to follow. "Let's go home..."


	10. Chapter 10

Princess Toadstool groggily sat up in her lush bed. Red blankets with the dark lands symbol covered her legs, and red curtains managed to block most of the sunlight from interrupting her slumber. Without any further thought, Peach sprang out of bed, thankful she was still in her dress as she hastily moved around the room.

As soon as she heard a shrill scream from behind her, the blonde whipped around and joined in. Shadow Mario sat in a chair beside the bed, his arms and legs spread out in front of him.

"Don't _scare_ me like that!" the blue plumber cried, slowly lowering his hands and feet. "I thought princesses were supposed to wake up all peacefully, not jump out of bed and scare the living daylight out of anyone nearby!"

Peach stood in front of him, her face showing no emotion as Doopliss stood up and regained his composure. "Well...what's done is done. Good Morning!" He cried, smiling brightly before receiving another slap to the face.

"Where are we!?" The blonde demanded, leaning in with her hands on her hips, "what are you doing!?"

"Well, you looked uncomfortable on the floor, so I moved you into bed, but I couldn't just leave you alone, so I stayed to watch you, but I fell asleep, so when you woke up in a rush and I got scared and started screaming, and then I tried to say good morning, but you slapped me and...uh..." Shadow Mario explained sheepishly, trailing off. Peach simply stood there, stunned, as Shadow Mario slowly backed away.

"Oh...well...thanks..." Peach muttered, crossing her arms over her chest. Doopliss merely smiled in response, shrugging his shoulders. "Want some breakfast?"

Peach bit into her scrambled eggs, savoring the flavor. Shadow Mario had brought her down to Bowser's kitchen, which surprisingly had plenty of fresh food in it. The man seemed nice enough, complimenting her and smiling since she had slapped him. Peach began to wonder if Shadow Mario was _really_ a bad guy.

Doopliss sat opposite her at the rather large, stone table. He looked at her for a moment, smiling once more, before eating his food. Peach couldn't help it...the tension was to much for her.

"Why are you doing this?" Peach sighed, neatly placing her fork down beside her plate. Shadow Mario looked up, a sausage hanging out of his mouth before he spit it out onto his plate with a blush. "Do what? Eat?"

"No..." Peach giggled, before stopping herself. This man seemed so much like Mario, is was almost scary. "Why capture me?"

Shadow Mario sighed. "I _told_ you...it's not that I want you to be kidnapped..." 'Mario' whispered. "I just need that...that..._fake_ Mario to try his hardest when I beat him!"

"You're the fake..." Peach growled, standing up and going to turn out of the room.

"No I'm not!"

Peach whipped around, glaring at the pouting man. The hurt in his eyes seemed genuine...or at least close to it. It wasn't the first time the blonde had wondered - did Shadow Mario really believe he wasn't the fake one?

"I-I-I told you!" Shadow Mario whimpered, "H-h-he came and t-t-t-took you all away..."

Peach was...startled to say the least. Doopliss was on the verge of tears. She didn't _want_ to do it, but...

"It's ok..." Peach cooed, wrapping the 'hero' in a hug. She felt him stiffen as she wrapped her arms around him. "Even though I'll never say you're the real Mario, we can still be friends..."

...her kindness got the best of her.

"So what do you want to do now?"

Peach shrugged. Although she _had_ said they could be friends, Shadow Mario couldn't help but notice the almost hesitant glint in her eye, or her occasional distant attitude towards him.

'_Let her ease into it...' _he told himself repeatedly. '_She can't hate me forever, right?_'

"Hello?"

Doopliss jumped in his seat, smiling sheepishly at his new friend. "Er, sorry, I was thinking..."

Peach merely rolled her eyes, leaning away from the blue man. "I asked if you had any paper..." the princess repeated, sitting in a chair across from her 'host'. "Of course I do!" He replied, digging through an insanely cluttered side table drawer before pulling out two sheets of blank paper and a pencil. Peach quickly took one and began drawing, angling the paper away from Doopliss when he tried to look. Sighing in defeat, Shadow Mario took the second paper for himself, whipping out his paintbrush to work on it.

Before he could finish, the blonde shoved her drawing in his face, a dopey-looking Doopliss with the red Mario kicking his behind. Shadow Mario's feelings were hurt, but only until he saw the teasing smile on his companion's face.

"Well then I guess you can't have this..." Shadow Mario joked, holding out a hand-painted picture of the blonde. If it weren't still wet, Peach would have to admit it was an amazing picture, but the flourish Doopliss had used to present it made the paint spring all over the page.

Peach glared at the blue 'hero' for a moment. "Are you trying to flirt with me?"

"Of course not! I don't find you attractive!"

Both people remained silent, unsure if a smack would present itself in the next couple of seconds. "Well, what I meant to say was..." Shadow Mario stuttered, shivering once he realized he was safe from the gloved hand. "You're _very_ beautiful, but I just don't see you in...uh..._that_ way..."

Once again, the room fell silent. Peach couldn't help but be happy – this definitely would make things easier once she and Mario were united. But it also proved Shadow Mario _did_ have some differences...and here she thought he was a perfect copy, not including the color and voice of course.

Before she could press the matter further, a loud boom shook the castle, and both princess and plumber quickly rose from their seats. Rushing over to the window, Shadow Mario looked down at something Peach could not see before poking his head back in, a furious look on his face.

"That red _idiot_!" He growled, already making his signature 'M' on the wall to travel away. "What is he _thinking_!?"

Turning back to the princess, Doopliss quickly ushered her into the bedroom, closing her in before locking the door. "Sorry!" He called, wrapping up the gateway to...wherever he was going. "I can't have you leaving while I'm away!"

Afterwords came a loud popping sound, and Peach was left in total silence.


	11. Chapter 11

Shadow Mario peeked from behind a big, mushroom-like building, watching two Toads walk into a shop before scurrying across the street. The artist knew that, until he proved his validity, most (if not all**) **of Toad Town's residents would see him as a criminal, and he would need to remain unnoticed.

He was slowly making his way to the castle, eager to protect the town from the oncoming danger.

"I'm _tired_." Bowser Jr. complained, trudging slowly behind Mario. Rolling his eyes, the plumber promptly picked the koopa up, hoisting the child onto his shoulders.

"We'll be home in the next 10 minutes..." Mario sighed, before pointing ahead, "See? You can, _literally_, see Toad Town looming right on the horizon, so enough with the complaining, alright?"

The baby koopa growled softly before turning his head around. The red hero felt him stiffen for a moment. "Hey Mario..." He whimpered, "What's tha-"

Before he could finish, both were nearly knocked off their feet my multiple large, black objects whizzing by from overhead. The plumber and the koopa looked on for a moment, watching them streak across the sky before fading into the horizon. Right before he could shake it off, an explosion erupted from were the objects had disappeared, seemingly in the very town they were heading to.

"Any idea what these are!?" Mario yelled, as more and more seemed to appear out of nowhere and head for the castle. The baby koopa looked furious, scratching the plumber's lef slightly before growling loud enough for him to hear. "I _told_ you not to touch anything!"

"B-b-but I didn't!" The hero lied, watching the koopa run towards the royal town before chasing after him.

After pausing to watch for a few seconds, Mario quickly ran for his home, worried about the casualties.

Shadow Mario stood atop Peach's castle, using his paintbrush to deflect enormous Bullet Bills away from the town. One or two projectiles had managed to hit the royal building, but Doopliss had quickly covered the holes with a tarp of paint, at least for a temporary seal.

However, he was getting tired. Very quickly even. As much as he hated to admit it, the artist was quickly wishing his rival would show up and help up...

"What the _hell_!?"

...speak of the devil.

"Quick!" Shadow Mario yelled, pointing over to the opposite side of the roof as a Bullet Bill appeared over the horizon. "Hit it away!"

Mario instead scowled at him, rushing over and grabbing his collar before growling in his face, "Where's Peach!?" Shadow Mario growled in return, pushing the man away before deflecting the oncoming projectile himself. "Answer me!"

"I'd love to tell you the _obvious_ hiding spot..." Doopliss yelled, quickly running back to his post. "But I, unlike _you_, am the good guy, so I'm sorta busy protecting the castle, alright?"

Mario looked on, aghast. "Excuse me!? _I'm _the good guy!"

Both plumbers ran around the roof, deflecting any and all bullets coming for the castle. It quickly turned into a contest, the two men smirking at each other, seemingly enjoying themselves.

"Getting tired yet?" Mario called, grinning as he held his hammer up in the air. Shadow Mario grinned and waved him off. "Pu-_lease, _ my score is way higher than yours. Don't think I'm quitting now!"

Nearly an hour later, both Mario's were exhausted, hunched over as they walked to meet in the middle of the roof.

"How many did you get?" Mario chuckled, seemingly forgetting there rivalry.

"47." Shadow Mario breathed. He stood up straight, looking down at his red-clad counterpart before whacking him with the paintstaff. "What are you made of, _stupid juice!?_" He yelled, glaring at Mario as he rubbed his head. "Why shoot at Peach's castle!?"

"I didn't know that's what the button did!"

"Not to mention the fact that I still have Peach!" Doopliss continued, crossing his arms over his chest. "Are you even _trying_ to find her!?"

"Of course I am!" Mario yelled, his anger quickly returning. "Speaking of which – _Where is she!?_"

" 'Mario', it's such an obvious place!" Shadow Mario laughed, his arms falling back to his sides. "Were is she _always_ taken?"

"To Bowser's castle. But considering the fact that he's made hundreds, that doesn't really help me."

Shadow Mario rolled his eyed, looking up at the sky. "Yes...but this one wasn't _always_ his..."

Mario's eyebrows lowered, confused. "What do you-"

"Y'know...if you hadn't stolen my identity..." The artist but it, a hint of sadness in his voice. "I think we could have made good friends..."

Before he could even respond, Mario watched his shadow jump into the air, splashing a glob of paint below him that disappeared once he was through.


	12. Chapter 12

Before he could retaliate, Luigi was pushed up against a wall. Luckily, it wasn't with a lot of strength, and it certainly hadn't hurt, but it _did_ manage to make a grunt come out of the green hero.

His eyes fluttered close as a pair of gloved hands made their way to his neck, wrapping around it tightly. The younger Mario brother whimpered softly, although it wasn't a whimper of pain. It was a whimper of pleasure.

"Mario's going to be so mad at us..." Daisy murmured as she brought her lips to Luigi's quickly, a soft, uncharacteristic, girly moan making it's may through her throat. The green thunder brought his hands to her hips and pulled her closer, still squeezing his eyes shut.

"I think, this one time, I'll be okay with angering my brother." Luigi mumbles once they separate. "And I'm sure he knew that when I said I'd go to Rogueport, I meant take you on a date."

"Is that the code you two use?" Daisy teased, stepping away from her love and sitting on the edge of a bed. "Going to Rogueport means making love to a woman?"

"N-no." Luigi bushed, crossing his arms. "If you remember correctly, my idea for the date was to search Sarasaland _together_. You're the one who wanted to come to my vacation house and do...that."

The princess of Sarasaland smirked and pulled on some undergarments, a gleam of pleasure in her eyes. Luigi smiled and slipped on some clothing himself. Both got dressed in silence, flashing their partner a smile every so often before being interrupted by a bright flash coming from one of the rooms side tables.

"Luigi..." Daisy mumbled once she had regained her composure, looking around the room. "What _was_ that."

The younger Mario brother stayed silent as he rummaged through the side tables, wiping his brow in relief before taking out a large, golden circle. "It was just this, thankfully."  
"And...what exactly is that?"

"It's Mario's." Luigi clarifies. "Even though we both live together in Toad Town, we have separate, bigger houses. I have this place, and he has a castle. But, after seeing how insecure Peach's could be, he put these 6 golden coins on as a lock. When you bring all 6 to the door, they flash – like this one just did – and the door unlocks. It's the only way to get in without something like teleportation, which none of us can do anyway."

Daisy nodded in understanding, taking the coin from Luigi and studying it carefully. "But, if it flashes when you unlock the door, and this needs to be _at_ the door to unlock it, why did it flash _now_?"

"Well..._really_ they flash when the door opens. The unlocking process doesn't really have any visuals to it, y'know?"

"So...the door just opened without all the keys?"

The green thunder's mouth opened as though to say something, before his eyes took on a worried look and he quickly pulled his hat onto his head. "We need to get back to Mario. He'd want to hear about this, and we've been gone long enough."

Shadow Mario yawned and stretched his arms above his head, still sitting on a dusty throne, shifting through various magazines that had been left lying around. After another minute of this, he finally stood up for what felt like the first time in hours, and made his way down the hall to a rickety, old, wooden door.

"May I come in?" He called gently, knocking on the door. After receiving no response, he cracked the door open a bit, peeking in to find a sleeping princess. "There's no one to talk to..."

_**You could always talk to me...**_

Doopliss spun around to see a man slightly taller than himself, wearing a black robe that managed to shroud his face. He was waving slightly, the annoyance in his voice clear as it echoed through the painters head. "Who are _you_?"

_**You really don't remember me? That's too bad. But I'd be lying if I said I was disappointed. I couldn't care less if someone as stupid as you remembered someone as mighty as myself.**_

"You're a jerk. I don't want to talk to you." Shadow Mario grumbled as the man turned around and sat on the same old throne. "How...how did you get in here, anyway?"

_**I, like you, can shadow walk. However, I simply walked in through the front door. If you remembered me, you would known that six little trinkets can't stop me.**_

"That's my throne!" Shadow Mario growled, holding his paint staff ahead of him menacingly. "Listen, I'm the hero of the Mushroom Kingdom! I don't take lightly to villains like yourself!"

_**You're no hero. Mario is the hero.**_

"He is _not_! I'll defeat him, and then I'll defeat you!"

_**Oh really? You'll defeat him? And how do you plan to do such a thing if you're to much of a pansy to even tell him where to find and challenge you?**_

A faint blush made it's way onto Doopliss' cheeks, and he shrugged his shoulders. "If he can't even figure it out on his own, how does he suspect I'll ever believe he's the real Mario?"

_**...Regardless of your terrible battle plans, I don't plan on interfering. Just thought I'd drop by and say hello to my favorite failure.**_

'Mario' stood in place, stupefied as the mad promptly disappeared off the throne, leaving the artist alone once more.

**There, this is the last of what I already have written. Now the hiatus **_**really**_** begins!**

**But, as a quick word - I am aware there is a "troll" in the review section of this story. That's why I had to re-publish it in the first place under a new name, but sadley they've "found" me again (because it just so happens the two "spammers" are actually one person)**

**At this point, I've stopped caring – there's really nothing I can do. But I thank all of you who have retaliated within your own reviews. Seriously, thank you all. You make writing a whole lot more enjoyable.**

**~Catch you soon!**


	13. Chapter 13 - The End

Hello everybody. It's TheAmphi-Author. I've come to a decision.

_Rising Shadows_ is hereby discontinued. As well as the 2 other stories that were going to continue it, and any of the spin-offs. Maybe someday they'll be revived, but it's just…well…

I started this story almost a year ago. Then I made it to chapter, what was it, 12? Then I also started working on a separate, shorter story on the side, _Plane Game_, as well as a few one-shots. _THEN_, I had to make a new account and start re-publishing all the chapters of _Rising Shadows_, but I haven't re-published ANY of _Plane Game_ or my one-shots. Now I'm on a hiatus, and it's come to the point were I've lost interest in writing this story, as hopeful as I was a year ago to see the trilogy finished. I'll _certainly_ be re-publishing some of my one-shots, and I _may_ re-publish/finish _Plane Game_, since it was so close to being finished anyway. I will leave this story up, but most likely, it'll go unfinished.

However, I _will_ give you all a brief summary of what was still to come.

Mario and Shadow Mario/Doopliss were going to eventually face each other, as I'm sure you all guessed. While the battle was intense, Doopliss would end up the winner, driving a blade on the end of his paint brush through Mario's heart and killing him.

However, upon doing this, Shadow Mario realized there was no way he was the real Mario. Mario would never kill – unless it was unintentionally, like Bowser at the beginning, and even then we could see how heartbroken Mario was. But with such a fatal wound, there was no way a 1-Up mushroom would help. So, by sacrificing a piece of himself (which he learned how to do from a book in the Creepy Steeple) Doopliss brought Mario back, while only temporarily weakening himself.

Then, he went back to live at Twilight Town to figure out who he really was, while Mario and Peach went off to live happily ever after.

But, a year later, the shadow-y figure would return. Mario would attempt to fight him, only to find him unstoppable. Eventually Shadow Mario would return – now romantically involved with Vivian (Shadowshipping. My own shipping. *sighs*) – and inform everyone of who he was. There was a dark version of the Mushroom Kingdom in a parallel world, and he was one of the members of the evil Stax, which consisted of him, his brother, the Shadow Queen (Peach), a girl named Rose (Daisy) and "The Leader"

While assumed he would be an amazing evil-doer, being as he was the counterpart of the MK's greatest hero, Shadow Mario was a huge disappointment. For some reason, he could do no wrong, unless forced to. "The Leader" eventually injected him with a formula to bring out his "evil intent", but even that didn't work. But, his incredibly evil brother, Mr.L, decided he would have to be bad enough for the both of them, and injected himself with the same thing.

This time things went wrong, and Mr.L became simply an entity. He could not longer interact with anything physical, much to his distaste.

However, during the events of Super Paper Mario, Mr.L learned that he could take over Luigi's body. And soon after that, he learned he could once again become physical, as long as he was near the green-clad brother.

So, soon after Shadow Mario recounts this story, we learn that the shadow-y figure is none other then Mr.L himself. Who constantly wanted to prove that _he_ was better then Doopliss ever could be, even if Doopliss _was_ evil, by taking over the Mushroom Kingdom.

Not only is Mr.L much stronger then Mario, he also manages to take over Luigi, making them an incredibly powerful team. Mario would team up with Shadow Mario (who once again, left at the end of _Rising Shadows_, and thus the two aren't really 'friends' just yet) and fight Mr.L. In the battle, Luigi would be knocked into a coma of sorts, Mr.L sapping the green plumber's energy and making him slowly die. While Shadow Mario fought of his brother, Mario went into Luigi's mind Dream Team style. As Shadow Mario finishes off Mr.L, Mario awakens Luigi, and the battle is won by the good side. But after Doopliss weeps about how he cared for his only brother, as evil as he was, and was struck with immense sadness now that his only remaining family was dead. With that, even while not fully equated with him, Mario refers to Doopliss from there on out as "the third Mario brother".

However, the three aren't left to rest for long. When the third story begins, we learn of who "The Leader" really is - a man from the dark version of the Mushroom Kingdom named Eureka, a dark version of who's much more masculine. (Ever seen that one episode of Invader Zim where we see Dib's future? And remember grown-up Dib's awesome lightning bolt hair thing? Eureka had that.)

Eureka explains that he wishes no harm on the Mushroom Kingdom - all he wanted was the Power Stars to rebuild his own home. Although Doopliss distrusts him, the three brothers agree to the offer out of sense of heroic-ness ("We can't just let a world die out because we don't like this guy...")

But once they bring all the stars to him, Eureka informs them that he could care less about his world. He challenges Mario to a 1 on 1 battle, which our hero quickly accepts, and absorbs the power of the stars. Right after that, Eureka explains that "The closer you get to the light, the larger and denser your shadow becomes." (which I totally ripped off from Kingdom Hearts). As Mario tries to figure out what he means, Shadow Mario buckles over in pain. The injection from years ago finally kicks in, as Shadow Mario is also stimulated by the stars, just in a different way. Mario once again fights Shadow Mario, this time both powered up. Mario manages to win, and Luigi frantically restrains the wounded Doopliss as he calms down.

And...um...that's it. I never planned an ending - at least, not one I was happy with. But I'll certainly continue writing fan-fiction. I'll be re-publishing my one-shots, writing more Mario, as well as some Pokemon, and whatever else I want! As a matter of fact, I'm already slowly working on my own two new Pokemon stories. An untitled one consisting of , and "That Guy Next Door", which takes place after Pokemon X and Y (F*cking amazing games right there) and features a shipping I have yet to see on here on FFN – Depthshipping.

But, before this tale comes to a close, there are a few things I wish to say and/or re-inforce

1. I will not be leaving FFN. Not now, and not anytime soon.

2. This story _may_ continue in the future, although most likely under a new name and re-written

3. I'll be changing my account name from "TheAmphi-Author" to "Corvo". I _won't_ be making a new account, just changing my pen-name

4. I'd really appreciate it if you took a look at some of the other stuff I've written. It'll be published soon, I swear.

5. And finally, thank you. I COULD say "thank you all", but that isn't right of me. You're all amazing, and you guys are what kept me writing. So, without further ado -

Thank you " " - You don't have an account, and we've never spoken, but I appreciate the review.

Thank you "Guest" - Same goes for you Guest(s?). I really do appreciate all the great things you've said.

Thank you "jesus Dark-sama" - If I remember correctly, you followed from my old account, right? That's much appreciated. :)

Thank you "Shadowclanwarrior" - Your reviews are appreciated, and I enjoyed seeing what it was you liked about a chapter.

Thank you "iamthatawesome" - Thanks for boosting my confidence c:

Thank you "NintendoLegend64" - You also clearly stated what it was you liked in a chapter, which makes your review much nicer so I know what I've done right.

Thank you "videogamenerd123" - Let's just say you'd make a great bodyguard. Thanks for standing up for me. You're awesome.

Thank you "Bakura-Kun98" - Sure, this may be your old account, and neither your new account or your old account reviewed this story (well, you did, but not this re-published version). You've truly been a great friend the entire way, and you're simply an amazing person. It's thanks to _Rising Shadows_ I met you in the first place, and thus I'll be eternally thankful to my past self for writing it.

That's everyone I need to thank. Writing this story has really been a great experience, and as sad as I am to bring it to an end, I simply wish to end it. So, with all that out of the way...good bye, everyone. Hopefully I'll see you in the review section of other things I publish, eh? That'd be great. But then again, it's completely up to you guys.

Stay amazing.

_~TheAmphi-Author / Corvo_


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